Pubdate: Tue, 08 May 2018
Source: Philadelphia Daily News (PA)
Copyright: 2018 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.
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Website: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/339
Author: Sam Wood
PA. LAWMAKER ASKS TO ERASE MARIJUANA CONVICTIONS FOR PATIENTS
A Pennsylvania legislator introduced a bill Monday that would give
medical marijuana patients a chance of expunging a conviction of
marijuana possession if the charge resulted from their use of cannabis
for medical purposes.
The bill is sponsored by State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery), and
does not have any support yet from Republicans who control the
legislature. To be expunged, patients would have to prove they had a
doctor's diagnosis for one of the 21 approved serious health
conditions at the time of the conviction. The patient would also have
to provide evidence they were using cannabis to treat the condition.
Qualifying ailments in Pennsylvania include ALS, cancer, Crohn's
disease, glaucoma, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD).
"People who have used marijuana for medical purposes do not deserve to
have a criminal record. I've met countless Pennsylvanians who have
told me that marijuana is the only medicine that relieves their pain,"
Leach said in a statement. "This will give people the opportunity to
go to court and prove that they do not deserve to have a criminal record."
Police in Pennsylvania arrested about 19,700 people for marijuana
possession in 2016, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report.
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